Ask Your Random Question Here (first post FAQ updated 03/26/08)

NOTE: This post has been edited, and will be updated, by the current editor, ravenswood13.

Have a question that's not answered below? Ask it in this thread! It will be answered to the best of our abilities. Sometimes, no one knows! (This first post will be updated with additional common questions as they are identified; the most recently added or modified question will be *** triple starred *** and the answer will be in bold italics).

ABOUT THE SERIES

*** When is ER ending? ***We don't know. The 15th season of ER is contracted through 2009. Whether or not there will be any additional seasons after that has yet to be announced.

When will the next new episode air (in the U.S.)?Check the pinned Season 14 Episode Titles and Air Dates thread. Schedule changes and new air dates are posted as they become available. (The first post of that thread is also continuously updated with the most current information we have.)

*** Help! I missed the latest ER episode. Where can I download it or watch it online? ***At the ER page at NBC.com! Episode 14.13 and beyond are now available for viewing. Recaps of the current season's episodes are also available there. If it's any episode before 14.13, you can view it nowhere. Unfortunately, there are no legal downloads of episodes prior to that one available online, and by TV.com Terms of Service, no one can post information directing you to any site where the episodes might be illegally offered.

*** When will the Season 9 DVD be released? ***June 17, 2008, in the U.S (already released abroad).

*** When will the Season 11 DVD be released abroad? ***April 21, 2008, in the UK.

What happened to the opening credits?The credits sequence of the first twelve seasons was dropped with the Season 13 premiere to devote more time to the episode. ER used to start at 9:59pm EST, but now starts at 10:00pm EST. Keeping the credits would have meant losing a minute of episode.

Which is the episode where...It's really hard to use the guide to find specific episodes when you only have a bit of info to go on. Reading through the ER Episode List doesn't help much because the titles are not enough to go on and the summaries are not included. Going from episode to episode is tedious and takes forever. No solution, right? Wrong! The TV.com: Printable ER Episode Guide is the answer! There you have all the episode summaries on one page, easily browsed without waiting for additional pages to load, and you can use your computer's "find" function to zero in on specific names or words that will point you to the episode you want. Bookmark this essential ER junkie's resource!

ABOUT THE CAST/CHARACTERS

*** Will Noah Wyle/Carter return during Season 14? How about during Season 15? ***Largely due to the writers' strike, Wyle will not appear in any Season 14 episodes. He is reportedly contracted to appear in four episodes during Season 15.

What happened to Shane West/Ray?Shane West left the series at the end of Season 13. In the episode "I Don't," his character, Ray, got very drunk at Luka and Abby's wedding, got into an argument with Gates, got kicked out of the reception by Pratt, and as he walked alone on his way to another bar, got hit by a big truck. In the season finale, "The Honeymoon is Over," we find out that he lost both his legs, and his mom comes to take him home to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

*** What happened to Abraham Benrubi/Jerry? ***Abraham Benrubi left the series at the beginning of Season 13 to star on another series, Men in Trees. His character, Jerry, was seriously wounded in the Season 12 finale, "21 Guns," saved in the Season 13 premiere, "Bloodline," and then disappeared, presumably because of a long convalescence. He never returned to "the desk." In episode 14.3, "Officer Down," someone made a passing reference to Jerry not being around because he was up in Alaska tending bar. It was a veiled reference to Men in Trees because Benrubi plays bartender Ben Thomasson on that show.

Why did Sherry Stringfield (Dr. Susan Lewis) leave so suddenly (the second time)? She was in the Season 12 premiere, "Cañon City," and then she was gone.Between the end of filming of Season 11 and the beginning of filming of Season 12, Stringfield announced she was leaving the show for the second time. She essentially left ER in the lurch, and several scenes she was to have been in had to be re-written. Her sudden departure did not allow for an exit arc, unlike the first time she left. She appeared in "Cañon City" because season premieres are typically shot with the previous season's finale.

Dr. Peter Benton (Eriq La Salle) took a DNA test in Season 8 to establish Reese's paternity. What was the result?The DNA test revealed that Benton is not Reese's biological father. Greater details on this storyline can be found in the episode guide.

Why did Dr. Anna Del Amico (Maria Bello) leave?On the show, it was stated Dr. Del Amico left because County General did not have a Pediatric ER (ironically, one was established after her departure).

ABOUT THE FORUM

What is a spoiler?A spoiler is information from or about an episode that has not yet aired. These are incomplete and may differ from what ultimately airs. Sometimes scenes get cut and characters names are changed. On this board, spoilers are confined to the Season 14 Spoiler Thread.

If spoilers are only to be posted in one thread, then why do other threads have "Season 14 Spoilers" in the thread title?These tags are designed as a warning system for overseas viewers. These viewers have to wait several months after the initial US/Canada airing to see the episode. Foreign viewers that do not wish to know what happens in current US episodes know not to enter these labeled threads.

What do all those crazy initialisms mean?• TPTB: the powers that be (It is used both to describe TV.com higher-ups and those that make official decisions about ER (directors, writers, producers, etc.))• IMO: in my opinion• MHO: in my humble opinion• JMO: just my opinion• BTW: by the way• FYI: for you information• ETA: edited to add• WRT: with regards (or respect) to• AFAIK: as far as I know• IIRC: if I remember correctly

ABOUT THE SITE

Why am I suddenly back at level 1 with 0%?The Level 1, 0% bug occurs quite a bit. There is a "treatment" for it that often works to reset your level. It's called "The Workaround": open your site preferences, click save, close that screen, and then refresh the page. You may have to do this three or four times. If it doesn't do the trick, wait it out. Your levels will go back to normal eventually.

Another one which exercises people is, why did Susan not have a proper leaving do? - must come up nearly every time there is a picture of her in Women of ER!!!

And good point about abbreviations - in addition to TPTB, there is of course IMO, which could be handy when people are actually expressing their opinions, and ETA and BTW. Can't think of any others, but those are the commonest, I think.

Maybe an explanation of the definition of a spoiler would be useful?

And would an explanation of Editor's role be good - I know it is generic, but I am sure many people only come to the ER bit!

Ratings - could Des do an idiot's guide to what the ratings are based on?

I just looked it up and it means "with regard to." I thought I saw it in a couple of threads recently, but I could have been hallucinating. Anyway, I guess it's not so common that it merits an explanation in the opening post.